Resources

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Overview: The American Sustainable Business Council represents more than 165,000 businesses nationwide and advocates for sustainability in the economic sector.

How to Use This Resource: Businesses suffer significant losses because of climate change, which inflates healthcare, energy and transportation costs. The organization has initiatives in Massachusetts and South Carolina to unite business owners around adaptation to rising seas.

Overview: The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission’s Science Panel is a group of volunteer scientists conducting research on behalf of the Coastal Resources Commission.

How to Use This Resource: Journalists will an in-depth analysis of the science behind rising sea levels, the impact it will have on North Carolina, and initiatives in place to fortify the state infrastructure.

Overview: The global nonprofit Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities initiative invests in climate resilience worldwide by providing select cities with financial and logistical guidance, and access to solutions, service providers and partners to help develop and implement resilience strategies.

How to Use This Resource: The website provides detailed reports on member cities via a database that allows users to select cities based on region and specific challenges. The site also maintains an active blog.

Overview: The News Journal covers breaking news in the state of Delaware.

How to Use This Resource: This article covers the extent of Delaware’s plans to improve their flood response policy, fortify the coastline’s infrastructure, and invest in a more resilient public transportation system.

Overview: The Risky Business Project is an independent assessment of the economic risks posed by a changing climate in the United States. It is the product of economic research firm Rhodium Group, which specializes in analyzing disruptive global trends, led by project co-chairs former New York Major Michael R. Bloomberg, former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, and philanthropist Tom Steyer.

How to Use This Resource: This extensive and high-profile financial risk-assessment report outlines a range of potential negative impacts if climate change adaptation lags for each region of the United States, as well as for selected sectors of the economy. More extensive reports have since been released on the Midwest, Southeast and California.

Overview: Climate Central is an independent organization of scientists and journalists researching and reporting climate change in the United States.

How to Use This Resource: This interactive report identifies the major climate threats facing the U.S – flooding, extreme heat, drought, and wildfire – and for each state provides a risk assessment score based on the extremity of weather and adaptive actions in place.

Overview: Sustainable DC is the District of Columbia’s major planning effort to make the city a sustainable one. It is led by the Department of Energy and Environment and the Office of Planning with input and participation of thousands of D.C. community members.

How to Use This Resource: The Sustainability DC Plan details how the capital intends to improve its infrastructure and adapt to the changing climate.

How to Use This Resource: New Orlean’s recovery after Hurricane Katrina is a case study in the successes and failures of resilience investment. This report examines how the city used climate change adaptation to bolster the city’s economy yet why certain communities are still struggling to recover.

Overview: The U.S. Department of Agriculture is the federal department responsible for developing and executing law on farming, agriculture, forestry, and food.

How to Use This Website: Each climate hub within this interactive map of the United States links to data on that region’s climate, as well as to practical information about climate resiliency and adaptation toolkits for farmers, ranchers and landowners.

Overview: The Union of Concerned Scientists is an independent consortium of scientists and advocates that work to develop and promote sustainable policies worldwide.

How to Use This Resource: Climate change has put many of the United States’ iconic landmarks and heritage sites at risk. This report is a selection of case studies that illustrate the urgency of the problem. According to its findings, the Statue of Liberty, the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Boston Historical Districts, and Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado could all face dire fates without action.

Overview: The Institute for Sustainable Coastal Communities is a joint initiative between the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University and Texas A&M University at Galveston. The institute works to help prepare coastal communities adapt to extreme coastal weather.

How to Use This Resource: The Coastal Atlas is a detailed web-based program that maps data on the state of the Texas coast, specifically its flood zones, population density, and infrastructure at risk.

Overview: The Maryland Climate Change Commission is a state government agency devoted to implementing policy to fortify Maryland’s infrastructures.

How to Use This Resource: Maryland has 3,100 miles of tidal shoreline and low-lying rural and urban lands, which leave the state highly vulnerable to rising sea levels. This report is filled with data about how the Maryland coast will change and what needs to be done to adapt.

Overview: The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority was established after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, in order to unify the state entities involved with protecting the coastline. For the first time in state history, Louisiana is uniting infrastructural and environmental agencies to produce a more climate-resilient community.

How to Use This Resource: Louisiana is one of the most vulnerable states, as well as one of the most innovative. This master plan details projects that provided relief to areas hit by Hurricane Katrina and lays groundwork for large-scale efforts to fortify the coastline in time for the next extreme storm.

Overview: The Florida Oceans and Coastal Council is a research organization sponsored by the federal government to develop priorities for ocean and coastal research statewide.

How to Use This Resource: This report on the effects of climate change on Florida’s ocean and coastal resources found the state extremely unprepared, because none of its infrastructure was built to accommodate sea level rise. The Florida Oceans and Coastal Council calls for immediate action in this comprehensive guide.